Family Is Very Important
by Myra109
Summary: What happened after every chapter in Goosebumps Aftermath? Sequel to Goosebumps Aftermath; read that first. Warnings before chapters (also, the overall rating is T, but if one chapter requires a higher rating, I will include that in the authors note of that chapter)
1. A Girl Needs Her Big Brother

_This is a sequel to Goosebumps Aftermath. Read that first._

 _This is a prompt from Rick and Maggie._

 _EPISODE: CUCKOO CLOCK OF DOOM_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

Tara Webster didn't expect anything strange to happen that night, but the strangest things happen when we least expect it.

Tara closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep in the silence of her bedroom. Instantaneously, a dream- more like a vision- developed in her mind.

She was in an utterly white world. There was nothing except for the sheer, blinding white color that stretched on for miles. She'd never had a dream like this before.

"Hello, Tara," a female voice said from behind her, and Tara turned to see two people standing behind her. They were both wearing white clothes. The girl was in her early twenties and was wearing a dress; curly brown hair was pulled over her shoulder. The boy beside her was a few years younger and was wearing a white suit; he had a curly head of black hair and blue eyes. But the strangest thing was that they both had wings.

"Wh-Who are you?" Tara stammered, taking a startled step backwards.

"We're angels," the girl giggled. "I'm your guardian angel, and this is Michael's guardian angel."

"Who is Michael?" Tara questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Your brother," the boy answered.

Tara laughed. "What are you talking about? I don't have a brother!"

"You did," the boy told her. "In fact, you're _supposed_ to still have a brother."

Tara frowned. "I don't understand."

"Let us show you," the girl offered, waving a hand.

An image appeared to Tara's left, making her jump, and she turned to see a young boy, maybe twelve, with blonde hair sitting on the sofa in Tara's living room. He was surrounded by other kids his age.

"This is your brother Michael at his twelfth birthday," the boy said before the image fast forwarded to show Michael carrying a cake into the living room.

Tara watched as the image version of herself stuck her foot out, tripping Michael and causing him to fall to the ground, his face sinking into the cake.

"You were always mean to him, so when your father got that cuckoo clock and specifically told you two not to touch it, he messed with it, intending to blame it on you. Revenge for all the teasing and pranks you pulled on him," the girl told her.

"But turns out, the clock really is magic. By twisting the cuckoo bird's head to face backwards, Michael ended up making time go backwards. He came close to deaging himself out of existence, but he managed to twist the bird's head back around and return to the present. Unfortunately, he knocked the year 2004 off of the clock, which resulted in you never being born," the boy finished.

The girl continued, "Michael could've left it like that, could've been an only child, but he chose to go back and save you. This resulted in him never being born, but you need Michael in your life. The minute God realized what had happened, he sent the two of us to tell you about Michael and tell you that the only one that can save Michael is you."

The world started to fade around Tara.

"Please, Tara," the boy murmured. "You're Michael's only hope."

The angels vanished from view, and Tara sat bolt up right in her bed. She glanced out the window and saw darkness; it couldn't have been after two in the morning.

 _You're Michael's only hope._

Tara leaped out of bed and crept down the stairs until she reached the den, where the cuckoo loomed ahead of her.

 _By twisting the cuckoo bird's head to face backwards, Michael ended up making time go backwards._

Tara watched as the clock struck two am, and the bird sprung out of the clock. Tara twisted the bird's head backwards and watched as it vanished back into its tiny compartment.

Tara blinked, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the brightly lit living room, and she glanced around.

A banner hung from the wall, and it read: _HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!_ Under that, in smaller letters, _The Big Twelve_ was written.

"Why does Tara have to be at my party?" she heard a male voice complain from the next room.

"Michael, be nice to your sister," her mother admonished.

Within seconds, it all came rushing back. All the memories she had of Michael reappeared in her brain in a single moment.

 _You're Michael's only hope._

"It's okay, Michael!" Tara exclaimed, walking into the room. "I promise to be nice."

"See?" her mother muttered to her brother before exiting the room.

"Michael, I'm sorry I've been so mean. I promise that I'll be better and nicer," Tara told him. "In fact, I'm going to go make you an extra special card."

Michael watched his sister skip out of the room.

Tara… being nice. Had he stepped into an alternate universe?

Michael opted to stay on his toes for the rest of the day. There was no doubt about it: Tara the Terror was up to something.

Or so Michael thought. But the party passed without incident. Tara didn't trip Michael. Tara didn't ruin his party or humiliate him. It was so shocking, Michael almost passed out then and there.

Since Tara started acting nice to Michael, Michael didn't mess with the cuckoo clock to get her in the trouble. The whole time-going-backwards mishap was entirely avoided (and Tara snuck out and went to the antique shop to turn the bird's head back around to avoid time going back any further).

Tara glanced over Michael's shoulder, staring out the window.

A girl and boy with wings on their backs smiled, giving her two thumbs up, before fading from view as Tara handed Michael his birthday card.

Across the front were the words _thank you,_ and Michael wondered why she'd written that until he opened the card.

Michael almost cried when he read what she'd written inside the card.

 **A Girl Needs Her Big Brother.**

Tara had realized something after losing Michael. She loved and needed her big brother. She needed him to protect her, to guide her. Her life was better with her big brother, even if she hadn't realized it before. She needed her big brother.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Leave a review._


	2. Across The Other Side Of The World

_EPISODE: THE HAUNTED MASK_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

"Ready?" Noah whispered.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Carly Anne replied.

A week had passed since the mask got stuck to Noah's face (removed by Carly Anne on the same night, thankfully), but neither of the siblings had been willing to so much as touch it during those seven days. The mask had been locked in a safe (the combination had been 10-31-98, the night they discovered the true nature of the mask), but it couldn't stay there forever. Sooner or later, someone would find it, and in order to avoid another incident with the mask, they needed to destroy it.

The siblings gave each other one last glance before Carly Anne turned the lock with trembling fingers, flinching at every click the lock gave as she slowly input the combination.

10

 _Panic fueling her as she fought to pry the mask off of her face, doing everything in her power to remove the horrid mask from her skin…_

31

 _Masks floating around her, murmuring horrible words, trying to claim her or whatever they wanted to do. It was a nightmare straight out of a horror film…_

98

 _Noah, the mask plastered to his face, and ten times the panic she'd felt earlier that evening hit her full force as the thought of the mask claiming her little brother appeared in her mind…_

Click. The combination lock clattered to the floor.

Carly Anne couldn't go any further, so Noah gently pushed her out of the way and opened the metal door, wincing at the suspenseful creak. Every sound that pierced their ears sounded like the mask coming to life, ready to claim two horrified and terrified victims.

Noah lifted the mask, dangling the mask from the tips of his fingers. He didn't want to even touch it, much less hold it like a normal person would hold a mask. No. The less physical (and visual) contact with the mask, the better.

Carly Anne rested a metal board on a nearby table (it was their mom's arts and crafts table, but they'd cleared it off. It was the only table in the garage and probably the best place to carry out their plan to destroy the mask).

The siblings glanced at each other before Noah picked up a different mask; the kind of mask people use around extremely hot items and in certain labs to avoid the chemicals or the heat from hitting their face and damaging their skin/eyes. He placed it over his face with a band securing it to his head. Carly Anne put on an identical mask.

Noah placed the horrible, haunted mask on the table and gave it one last glance, a stare that was filled with loathing, before picking up a blow torch.

"It's time to end this," he muttered. "Once and for all."

Noah touched the hot, blue flame to the mask, listening to the hissing sound the blow torch made as the fire spurted from it. The mask began to melt, and Noah cringed as the mask gave a long, ear splitting, blood curdling wail that would ring in his ears for months to come. The wail died as the flame melted the mask's 'lips' into a disgusting, smoking mound of rubber.

It didn't take long for the mask to become nothing more than a hill of melted rubber, and Noah watched as the smoke curled off of it.

"Good riddance," he muttered. "Carly Anne, get the safe."

Carly Anne retrieved the safe and heaved the heavy box onto the table, taking a step back as Noah picked up the still steaming melted rubber (he was wearing gloves, of course. He didn't want to touch that horribly hot material with his bare hands, obviously). He placed it on the bottom of the safe and slammed the metal door shut, clicking the combination lock back onto the safe.

Carly Anne picked up a large box off of the floor, and together, the two siblings placed the safe into the box and taped the box closed with as much tape as possible (using both packaging and duck tape on the box). That mask couldn't get out of the box if it tried.

This was more of a precaution. In theory, melting the mask should've destroyed it and whatever spirit haunted it, but they didn't know how the mask worked. Even their creator didn't _entirely_ know. Therefore, Carly Anne and Noah thought better safe than sorry.

Noah smacked a sticker on it that read **Ship To China** before Carly Anne and him dragged it to the post office (getting a lot of weird looks on the way). There, they mailed the package to the other side of the world and returned home, feeling safe for the first time since Halloween.

The mask was gone for good. It was melted and mailed all the way to China. Noah and Carly Anne could finally relax. They didn't need to worry about the mask hurting their sibling every again (or the mask hurting themselves, but the thought of the mask hurting their brother/sister was much more fear inducing. They'd willingly give themselves to the mask a hundred times to save their sibling). It was finally over.

After all, the mask couldn't haunt them when it was on the other side of the world.

* * *

 _Please leave a review! Goodbye, everyone!_


	3. Hate Is Nothing Like Dislike

_Hello. Here's chapter 3!_

 _EPISODE: LET'S GET INVISIBLE_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

* * *

Noah couldn't stop crying.

Max was dead. His brother was dead.

Six months had passed since they'd gotten trapped in this awful world of mirrors and reflections. After 189 days, Max had finally died of dehydration and starvation. In this world, they would occasionally find food and drink (they weren't sure where it came from, but they assumed it had something to do with a reflection of the food or something similar), but it wasn't nearly often enough. On Day 172, Max had gotten sick. Really sick. Without proper nutrition, his body couldn't fight off infections or disease, and they didn't have medical care in this mirror world. On Day 184, Max's body had given out, and he'd died in Noah's arms.

Noah isn't sure what that would mean for his reflection, the one that had escaped the mirror. Maybe it got sick just like Max and died just like him. Or maybe he disappeared entirely. Or maybe nothing happened to his reflection.

Either way, the Max Noah knew was dead, and it wouldn't be long before Noah joined him.

Noah's stomach ached from hunger, and he coughed so hard, he was afraid he might start coughing up blood. 189 days of little food, little water, and freezing cold temperatures had taken a toll on his body, and it wouldn't be long before his body shut down, just like his brother's had.

Noah clutched a hand over his stomach and tried to avoid staring at Max's dead body lying a few feet away. Noah had carefully placed him with his hands crossed over his chest and his eyes closed, resting him on the ground, like in a casket. There was no where for his body to go in this world. It couldn't be buried, and there was no way out of this mirror.

It was over for him. There was no escape. He was a goner.

Noah closed his eyes and waited to die.

* * *

He was being shaken awake, which made him frown. Max was gone, so who could be trying to wake him up?

Unless he was dead, and an angel- maybe even Max- was trying to wake him up to escort him into Heaven.

Noah smiled at the thought. That meant no more pain, no more hunger, no more grief. He'd rather die than go another day in that horrible mirror world…

He opened his eyes and jumped upon seeing a set of familiar eyes inches from his own… but it couldn't be.

"Erin?" he managed, choking on his words. He hardly dared to hope. It was probably just a cruel dream, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't prevent the hope that blossomed in his chest.

She grinned, weakly. "It's really me, Noah. Come on. We have to go."

"Max," Noah whimpered as she helped him to his feet.

She nodded. "I know," she whispered. "I know."

She lead him through the electric blue world with all of its random items, like horses from carousels and refrigerators and bikes, before they arrived at the mirror.

As soon as they stepped through it, Noah grabbed a chair and smashed the mirror to pieces without missing a beat. Glass and wood exploded in the air, raining down on him and Erin. He slammed the splintered remains of the chair on the glass shards until they were so tiny, you couldn't see them without a magnifying glass. The mirror was completely obliterated, and Noah cried in relief.

Erin placed a hand on his shoulder and slowly dragged him away from the shattered remains of the mirror that had caused him so much grief.

"A reflection can't exist in the same world as the original person," she explained, "So your clone is back in the reflection world."

"Good riddance," Noah muttered as she led him down the stairs and had him sit at the kitchen table. She immediately began preparing some oatmeal for him, and his mouth watered.

She placed a bowl in front of him, and he began to scarf it down as fast as he could. She immediately snatched it back.

"Slowly," she ordered. "Your stomach is much smaller than it used to be. Eating so quickly after so long without food could make you even sicker than you are. I know it's hard, but you need to eat slowly."

He nodded and accepted the bowl, eating slower this time.

"Sorry, oatmeal is kind of bland, but I don't think your body will be able to handle much else for a while," she told him. "Candy, sugar, maybe even greasy and fatty foods… those could kill you after so long without food, so it'll just be oatmeal, soup, and a few basic foods for a while. We'll work our way up to different foods."

Noah shrugged. "As long as it's food, I don't care what it is. Erin, thanks for saving me."

Now, you have to understand: Noah hates to be touched. Even Max and his parents couldn't touch him. Hugging, playfully punching, a kiss on the cheek, even shaking his hand… no. It could result in temper tantrums, and his parents had learned a long time ago not to touch Noah, lest they risk a huge tantrum. No matter how much they punished him for throwing a tantrum, it never worked, so eventually, they just stopped touching Noah, and the tantrums disappeared.

His mom and dad walked in just in time to see Noah sweep Erin into a hug and kiss her on the cheek. Needless to say, they almost fainted from the shock.

"You don't need to thank me for saving your life," Erin whispered so his parents wouldn't hear. "Especially since I was almost too late for you, and I was too late for Max."

"Don't blame yourself for Max's death. Besides, he wanted me to be safe. I'm sure he's more than grateful that you rescued me in time," Noah murmured, "and so am I. I'm not saying I like you, but I certainly don't hate you. After all, I owe you my life."

Hate is nothing like dislike. A simple example is disliking vegetables. If you dislike vegetables, you prefer not to eat them, but you could eat them if you had to. Hate means you can't even tolerate them. The same goes for people, although it can be much more complicated at times. Dislike means you prefer not to hang out with someone, but you could have a short civil conversation with them. Hate means you'd avoid them at all costs and may even be mean to them.

Noah may not like Erin; he still disliked her, but he could never hate her, especially after all they'd been through now with the mirror. After all, he owed her his life. It would seem pretty ungrateful if he continued to hate her after she risked her life and being trapped in the mirror world to save him.

* * *

 _Sorry this chapter took so long! Thanks for reading! Goodbye, everyone._


	4. I Am More Than Grateful

_Hello, everyone._

 _EPISODE: STAY OUT OF THE BASEMENT_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Goosebumps._**

* * *

It took a week for Margaret to get her head wrapped around the fact that she'd dreamed up a little brother and that Casey wasn't actually real.

It took her another _month_ to find a solution, and during that month, Margaret spent endless hours reading and researching; by the end, Margaret had read every science book about alternate universes she could get her hands on, not to mention old spell books.

Finally, Margaret discovered that the right combination of scientific solutions and magical solutions would be able to work, but it would take a lot of time to complete.

Margaret spent seven months on her solution. It took a lot of chemicals and a lot of spells, but after two hundred and twenty-nine days, it was finally complete.

Margaret stared at the solution, splayed out on the floor of their basement (which no one besides her ever entered, so her research and experiments were safe down there) one last time before she climbed the stairs and entered her bedroom.

She dug around inside of her pocket and pulled out the folded up slip of paper that contained the instructions.

 _Step 999:_

 _Allow the solution to sit over night._

 _Step 1000:_

 _Pray that it works._

Margaret closed her eyes and whispered _please_ under her breath so many times she lost count; eventually, she fell asleep to her own mantra of _please work, please work, please work._

* * *

Margaret pried open her eyes, and she squinted against the harsh glare of the sunlight shining through her window and hitting her directly in the face.

For a moment, being jarred out of sleep caused a disoriented feeling, and she didn't remember what she was doing, why she was so anxious, or even where she was.

After a few minutes, she blinked, and the disorientation faded, but she still couldn't remember why she felt so anxious…

She shifted in her bed, and something crinkled in her hand.

Margaret stared at the seemingly endless paper, which had previously been folded into a small square, that trailed over the side of the bed.

Across the top was a title:

 **MISSION: CREATE AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE WITH CASEY**

Casey… Casey… CASEY!

In that moment, any trace of sleepiness faded, and Margaret leapt out of bed.

Did it work? She wondered. Her room looked the same; she felt the same; nothing seemed different.

Only one way to find out for sure…

Margaret crept out of her bedroom, and she slid her bare feet down the hall until she reached the living room.

"Casey, Margaret, we're heading out!" their mother called before Margaret heard the front door shut.

Casey! It worked!

Margaret dashed down the hall and into the living room, but the minute she saw Casey, she froze in her tracks.

It was definitely Casey. Same brown hair, same blue eyes, same scrawny form, same tiny scar on the side of his neck from the time he fell out of a tree when he was younger. Casey was even playing video games like usual.

So yes, at first glance, the person was definitely Casey, but the closer Margaret looked, the more she noticed the differences.

Casey's brown hair was always shaggy, but now, it was almost as long as Margaret's. Casey was wearing a green T-shirt and jeans, but the jeans were skinny and looked a lot like Margaret's usually did- girl's jeans. Casey's features were softer and well, more _feminine_.

Casey was a girl.

"Hey, Margaret!" he-no, she- called as she punched a thumb on the buttons on her game controller.

"Casey…" Margaret murmured before sprinting forward and flinging her arms around Casey's neck, causing her to cry out in surprise as she tumbled back and found herself pressed against the back of the couch with her older sister clinging to her in a hug.

"What on earth?" Casey cried out.

"I had the worst nightmare," Margaret replied, which wasn't exactly a lie. The universe she'd lived in for almost three quarters of a year was a living nightmare because every moment without Casey was _agonizing_.

You don't know what you have until it's gone. Margaret was one of the lucky few to get it back, and she was never going to take Casey for granted again.

"I woke up, and you were gone. When I asked Dad, he said I didn't have a bro-sister. I didn't have any siblings; you didn't exist, and life was horrible without you. I know I probably don't say it very often, but I love you so much, Casey," Margaret gushed. "You're the best sibling I could have asked for."

Casey nodded. "You're the best sister, and I am thankful that God gave me you."

Margaret smiled and embraced Casey once again.

They hugged for several moments, and then…

"Um...Margaret… I love you, but can you stop hugging me? It's getting kind of weird."

Margaret pulled away and sat beside her sister on the couch, watching as she played video games. Before the whole alternate universe/possible reality without Casey, she would've snatched the remote away from Casey and turned on her own show, but now, she didn't care. She was just grateful to have Casey by her side.

The spell/solution may have slightly backfired and turned Casey into a girl, but she was still the Casey Margaret remembered, despite the change in gender. She was a Tom boy, loved video games, and enjoyed sports (but she loved video games more); she was the same Casey with the exception of her gender.

Margaret didn't care that Casey was a girl now. Boy or girl, she was just happy to have Casey in her life. So even if she now had to remember to think of Casey as her sister and not her brother, she was still more than grateful.

* * *

 _Thanks for reading! Please leave a review! Goodbye, everyone!_


	5. Nobody Or Anything Harms My Sister

_THIS CHAPTER IS ONE OF THOSE THAT HAS A DIFFERENT RATING. THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED._

 _EPISODE: THE GIRL WHO CRIED MONSTER_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

 ** _WARNINGS: SEXUAL ABUSE/RAPE, MURDER_**

* * *

Randy yawned as he awoke one night, and he winced as his dry throat crackled and ached. He crawled out of his bed and strolled down the hall and into the dark and silent kitchen.

Randy coughed, quietly, as he poured himself a glass of water; he sipped the refreshing beverage and sighed as the cool liquid soothed his parched throat.

Carrying the glass, Randy began to walk back in the direction of his room, but as he passed Lucy's bedroom, he froze upon hearing a noise.

It was nearly two AM; his parents were always in bed by eight, and Randy had never seen Lucy stay up past ten. Randy was always the night owl in the family, and if she were awake, why were the lights off?

Randy raised his fist to knock on the door, but then he heard a sound that made him freeze once more. He'd never heard Lucy make this sound before:

Crying.

Randy leaned forward and pressed his ear to the door to listen.

He heard another sound, the one that made him raise an eyebrow:

A low moan, undoubtedly from a male.

So Lucy had snuck a guy into her room. But if that was the case, why was she crying?

Randy took a risk, and he gently turned the doorknob and pushed the door open a crack.

Normal humans wouldn't be able to see many details in the darkness of Lucy's room, but being a monster meant that Randy had advanced night vision and could not only see in the dark, but make out just as many, if not more, details than he could see in the light.

What he saw nearly made him drop his glass of water, which surely would've given him away.

His father… having sex with his sister.

Randy would've been disturbed if Lucy was in to it, but any trace of this disturbed feeling faded when he saw the tears staining Lucy's cheek.

His father wasn't _having sex_ with Lucy. He was _raping_ her. _Abusing_ her. _Hurting_ her.

Randy couldn't even begin to explain the feeling that reared up inside of him. It was an uncontrollable kind of anger, the kind that can't be reeled back in. It was the kind of anger you feel when someone you love is in danger. The anger- the protective nature- that takes over is so powerful, you don't even stand a chance at fighting it, and most people don't want to.

Only one thought rang through Randy's mind in that single moment:

Nobody or anything hurts my sister.

Randy slammed the door open and lunged at his father at lightning speed, tackling the grown man to the floor.

Randy's monster side appeared in moments. Most of the time, he was able to keep it in check and be human, but now, he didn't try to hold it back.

Lightning speed, impossible strength, unnaturally quick reflexes, advanced night vision… as a human, he was above average in the categories of his speed, strength, reflexes, hearing, vision, and other senses, but as a monster, all of these things increased, dramatically, until they reached impossible levels.

His father didn't even have time to turn around before Randy was clinging to his back and knocking him to the floor.

Within seconds, there was nothing left of his father but a few splatters of blood on Randy's face and clothes.

For a moment, Randy could only stare in horror at what he'd done.

He'd killed his father…

But then he remembered why he did it. To protect Lucy. His parents may be important to him, but Lucy would always be the most important person in his life.

Randy sat on the edge of Lucy's bed and took her hand. Surprisingly, Lucy didn't pull away. She didn't look horrified by Randy's action; she looked grateful.

"Thank you," she whispered, "for protecting me."

Randy nodded. "You never need to thank me for that. Now, let's go get ourselves cleaned up, and we'll tell Mom. When she hears what he did to you, I'm sure she won't hate us, but just in case, keep a bag packed."

"You didn't have to do that, you know," she murmured as he helped her stand.

"Yes, I did," Randy replied. "Nobody or anything hurts my sister."

And Randy meant that with all his heart. No monster, animal, human… not even his own parents… would hurt Lucy without going through Randy first.

Randy made a promise that day:

Nobody or anything harms my sister, and they'll be in for a lot of pain if they even dare to try.

* * *

 _What's you think? I know it's... well, I wouldn't see really graphic, but certain parts were graphic, but please leave a review!_

 _Thanks for reading!_


	6. Taking Risks Is How People Have Died

_Chapter 6. It's not my favorite chapter, but I think it was still good. Make sure to tell me what you thought! This is rated High T!_

 _EPISODE: A NIGHT IN TERROR TOWER_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

 ** _Warnings: murder_**

* * *

"Susanna," Edward whispered. "I'm scared. What if it doesn't work, and he finds out? It could make things worse."

"It won't," Susanna assured him. "It will work, and it will make things better."

"How do you know for sure?"

"I don't," Susanna admitted, "but I do know that it's worth a shot."

Edward sighed. "I suppose you're right."

The prince and princess of York were in a laboratory hidden deep within the castle. The cement walls were so thick, the two of them could scream at the top of their lungs, and no one outside would hear a peep.

There was a heavy, rust-red colored door that was thicker than Susanna's head, and there were several locks. No one could enter without using the one and only key, which was in Edward's pocket, and the fumes of their potion making couldn't worm out of the room because there was no space under the door or around the edges.

Susanna stirred the clear, bubbling potion, holding the mask over her mouth and nose as the smoke and steam billowed around them. She wasn't sure if the fumes could kill them, but she didn't want to risk it.

"Almost done," Susanna murmured to her brother. "Vial."

Her brother handed a glass vial to her, and Susanna filled it with the potion, careful not to touch it. She capped it and slipped it in her pocket.

"Ready?' she asked her brother.

He took a deep breath. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Susanna crept into the kitchen, and upon seeing her uncle's dinner plate sitting on the counter, she poured the vial of poison into her uncle's goblet before slipping back out of the kitchen unnoticed.

She immediately recognized the expression on her brother's face.

"We have to do this, Eddie," she murmured, softly, checking to make sure no one was around to hear them. "We can't risk our uncle taking over the kingdom; we don't know if we time traveled or if this is an alternate universe or what will happen in the future. We have to protect our kingdom, our parents, and each other. I don't like this anymore than you do, but we can't risk it."

"Otherwise, all of us could die," Edward finished.

Susanna nodded and watched as a servant delivered the dinner plate to the table, where her uncle and parents were seated.

Susanna and Edward joined them and tried to avoid watching their uncle eat as they enjoyed their own food.

"Well, that was delicious," their uncle said, stiffly, standing up. "I must be getting to bed. Big day tomorrow."

"Us, as well," Susanna agreed. "Goodnight, Mother, Father."

"Goodnight," their mother returned as Susanna and Edward exited the room.

"It's done and over with," Susanna muttered as her and Edward stepped outside of the dining room and finally allowed themselves to breathe.

Seconds after Susanna finished her sentence, their uncle ran directly into them.

"Watch where you're going," he sneered. He was always nice in front of their parents, but when it was just him and the kids, he showed his true colors. After all, who would believe a couple of children?

He maneuvered around them and stormed down the hall.

"He hasn't changed a bit," Edward commented.

"Which probably means his plans haven't either," Susanna stated. "I'm not going to say we made the right decision, but we have to protect our family."

Edward nodded. "I agree. Family is very important."

* * *

The following morning, the king's brother was found dead in his bed. Cause of death: a severe case of food poisoning.

Foul play wasn't even considered. Even the king wasn't very fond of his brother; no one was glad he was dead, but they weren't broken up over it either. The death was barely investigated before the man was buried.

Susanna and Edward were never expected, but while no one else ever found out, the prince and princess knew, and they would never forget.

They didn't make the right decision, but they didn't make the worst decision either. After all, ignoring the problem would've resulted in multiple deaths, including those of their parents and themselves. They couldn't take the risk.

People take risks all the time these days. They speed; they drink and drive; they participate in highly dangerous sports without using the proper safety measures. Even flying in a plane can be considered a risk (depending on how you look at it). People engage in fights, do drugs, play on construction sites (yes, believe it or not, people do that), and that's just the tip of the ice berg.

Edward and Susanna could've chosen to ignore the problem and risk their uncle taking over the kingdom and taking the lives of many people, including their own family.

They couldn't take the risk. After all, risks is how people can die, after all.

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 _Thanks for reading! Like I said, not the best chapter, but it wasn't bad either (at least I didn't think so), so I'll take it. Leave a review! Bye!_


	7. You're Not My Friend (You're My Sister)

_Hello, everyone! I know it has been a while since the last update, but I am back! Also, this chapter is about the sibling-like relationship between best friends, Zach and Alex._

 _EPISODE: THE BLOB THAT ATE EVERYONE_

 ** _Disclaimer: I do not own Goosebumps or its characters in any way, shape, or form._**

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The party was in full swing, and the noise was so loud, it was suffocating. The music threatened to blow the speakers, and at least a hundred sweaty bodies were packed on the dance floor, and Alex was ninety-nine percent sure that at least fifty percent of them were high and that the people that _weren't_ high were incredibly drunk.

Alex and Zach had entered their first year of high school and were ecstatic when they got invited to their first high school party, but they were not prepared for how overwhelming the environment would be. This was not their tenth birthday party or a pathetic excuse for a dance their middle school had thrown. This was way more hectic and way more wild, and while it was fun at first, Alex quickly grew bored amongst the other high schoolers, half of which she didn't even know.

She'd lost Zach at some point, and not wanting to ruin his good time, she decided to wait in the corner for him to re-emerge from the crowd. It was already two in the morning, and the party hadn't even started to wind down, so Alex sipped her third cup of lemonade in the past hour and waited for her friend to return to her side.

"Hey!" a male voice sing-songed in her ear, and she turned to see a boy standing beside her.

He appeared to be a freshman, maybe a sophomore, but definitely not any older than that. He had long, shaggy brown hair that tumbled into his green eyes; he was slim and a little taller than her. He was wearing a leather jacket and ripped black jeans and some kind of concert T-shirt. He certainly wasn't an athlete, but the scrawny form worked for him. It made him handsome, but Alex wasn't interested in boys (at least an excessive amount) quite yet.

"I'm Jonah," he stated, shaking her hand.

"I'm Alex," Alex responded.

"Your first high school party?" he asked, shouting over the music.

Alex nodded. "Yep. A lot crazier than I thought it would be."

"Not all high school parties are like this, but this is Xavier Young's house! _Frat_ parties are nothing compared to Xavier's parties," he chuckled.

Alex nodded. "I'd heard that Xavier throws some pretty big parties, but I've never seen one for myself until now."

"So… some friends and I are playing a game upstairs? Want to join?" Jonah questioned.

Alex frowned. "What game is it?"

"Only the highlight of all good high school parties," he replied, waggling his eyebrows, suggestively. _"Strip poker!"_

"No, thanks," Alex declined.

"Come on," Jonah urged. "All freshman have to play. It's like a rite of passage or something."

"If some girls want to go flashing their tits at a room full of people they barely know, good for them, but that's not me," Alex told him before trying to walk away.

A hand grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her back; Alex found herself staring into Jonah's lust filled eyes.

"Come on, Alex. It's fun; you'll see. I'll even make the first move," he said before his lips touched her's, smashing against her lips in a clashing, almost violent motion, and this was certainly not what Alex had in mind for her first kiss. Her hand smacked against his chest, but Jonah's scrawny form was misleading; he was a lot stronger than he appeared.

Alex started struggling, trying to turn her face away, but Jonah yanked her back before she could even scream. Alex's cry was muffled against Jonah's lips as his hand slipped into her pants and brushed the waistband of her panties.

Suddenly, Jonah's heavy weight pinning her to the wall vanished, and Alex's head was spinning. Everything was moving to fast as she watched someone throw Jonah to the ground and start punching the guy until Jonah had a bloody nose, a split lip, a black eye, and judging from the way he was clutching his side, some cracked ribs.

Alex was too relieved to have Jonah off of her to notice the stunned crowd surrounding them.

Alex jumped as a familiar hand grasped her's, and her eyes snapped up to see a mildly concerned Zach staring back at her.

"Come on, Alex," he murmured. "Let's go home."

Alex nodded and allowed herself to be tugged gently through the crowd. She was suddenly stopped when Zach turned around to stare at Jonah, who had made it to one knee and appeared to be in a ginormous amount of pain.

"Oh, and Jonah? If you ever even think about touching, harming or even _speaking_ to my sister ever again, I'll put you in the hospital," Zach threatened, but even Alex in her traumatized stupor could tell it wasn't just an empty threat. It was a promise.

Zach gently pulled Alex outside, and they started to walk home. They remained completely silent until they came to a break in the road; Zach lived to the right, Alex to the left, and Zach began to turn left to walk Alex home, but Alex stopped him.

"Zach… can I stay at your place tonight?" Alex whispered, wanting the comfort of her best friend, as well as not wanting to be alone right now.

Zach nodded. "Of course. Are you okay, Alex?"

Alex nodded. "Yeah, I am. Thanks to you."

"Don't mention it," Zach responded before they descended into silence once more.

"You called me your sister," Alex recalled, breaking the awkward silence. "Why did you lie to all of them?"

Zach smiled. "I didn't lie to them. You're not my best friend, Alex. You're my sister. You're family, okay? And I will always protect you."

Alex was often seen as tough, unbreakable, but she didn't even try to stop herself as she dissolved into tears. Zach wrapped his arms around her, quietly soothing her, as he smoothed his hand over her brown hair. She cried into his shoulder, and he let her because that's the things brothers do. They protect their sisters. They love them; they care for them; and they never leave their sisters when they need them the most.

Zach was Alex's brother in everything but blood, and she was his sister, and nothing on this planet would ever harm his little sister, or they'd have to deal with her big brother. And trust me: no one would be willing to deal with a protective Zach. If you won't take my word for it, just ask Jonah.

Because Alex wasn't just his best friend. She was his sister, and Zach would go to the ends of the earth to keep her safe.

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 _Reviews make me day (as long as they're kind or constructive criticism. Any flames will be ignored and/or reported). Thank you all for reading! Goodbye, everyone!_


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